Webhelp Group acquires Webhelp UK

New owners plan further investment in UK expansion

Webhelp UK, one of the UK’s leading contact centre companies which employs over 6,000 people across nine sites, has been acquired by Paris-headquartered Webhelp Group.

Webhelp Group operates 24 contact centres in continental Europe and North Africa, has annual revenues of 220m Euros and employs 10,500 people. It is backed by London and Paris based Charterhouse Capital Partners, which acquired a majority stake in the business in 2011.

Webhelp UK, which changes its name to Webhelp UK following the acquisition, gives the Webhelp Group a major presence in the UK for the first time and the capability to provide English-language customer management to its international client base.

The combined group will be one of the largest independently-owned customer experience organisations in the world, with revenues in excess of 350m Euros, 33 centres serving 25 clients and 16,500 employees globally.

Webhelp UK will retain its operational headquarters in Falkirk, Scotland, and continue to be run by its existing long-standing management team, led by Chief Executive David Turner, Chief Financial Officer Dean Hartley and Chief Operating Officer Andy Doig.

A new marketing office has been established in London, where Webhelp Group founder and co-chairman Frédéric Jousset will be based to support the company’s growth and development in the UK market.

It marks an end to the company’s ownership by the Indian-based HERO Group, which bought TSC in 2007 for £40m. The HERO Group has divested of its ownership to focus on its existing core manufacturing businesses.

Over the last five years, Webhelp UK has doubled its UK revenues to £82million, and grown staff numbers from 2,000 to 6,000. The current financial year has also seen revenues considerably increase. The company has customer contact centres at Dearne Valley, Derby, Dunoon, Falkirk, Glasgow, Greenock, Kilmarnock, Rothesay and Warrington.

David Turner, Webhelp UK Chief Executive, said: “This acquisition is excellent news for our people and customers. Webhelp is a dedicated customer relationship management organisation and is therefore totally supportive of our ambition to provide customers with the very best multichannel experience. Our management teams share an entrepreneurial drive to push the company forward and achieve new growth across all of our markets.”